Profs are Friends (Not Food)

(Sorry for the Finding Nemo reference, it just seemed appropriate)

My post is inspired by a lousy day I was having about 2-3 weeks ago. The pressure of my grad school application was building on me, my GPA wasn't as high as I wanted it to be, and to top that off, I had just gotten back an exam grade that I wasn't too happy with. Like I said, it was a lousy day.

The week went on and things didn't seem to get better. I tried venting to my parents, my boyfriend, and my good friends about the workload and anxiety I was having. Of course, they did their best to try and help, but no conversation really "did it" for me. I wouldn't say I was overly stressed, I honestly just felt like I needed to vent. I was in a slump, but I wasn't really sure who to talk to.

I had a meeting set up with my professor in her office hours late in the week. I plopped down my backpack and took a seat. "Hi! How are you doing, Randee?" She asked.

I knew a simple, "Good, how are you?" would have sufficed, but for some reason, I let it all out.

I told her I was stressed about getting into graduate school. Then, I went on about how annoying one of my classes was and how I didn't care about it, and I wanted my GPA to be higher. I talked about all the work I have to do this summer and why I'm anxious about all the responsibilities I have lying ahead.

You might think that this story ends with my professor giving profound advice, listing off ways to adequately manage my time, encouraging me that everything will pay off. But in the end, she listened to what I had to say, and answered with, "Wow, that sounds like a lot of pressure, I'm sorry. But good luck!"

Some might think my professor should have given me some "motherly" academic advice. However, I walked out of that office feeling better than I had all week. Simply listening to my quick vent-session and acknowledging that yes, sometimes life is rough and you need a little bit of luck, was all that I needed from my professor. In college, it seems as though sometimes we get wrapped up in the cliches that tell us to "keep on keeping on" - which is a great motivator. But other times, all we need is someone (someone who understands the academic pressures here at Michigan, like our professors!) to acknowledge that what we're going through is difficult. That's all.

After a great class with all of you, where we were able to share our ideas freely and learn genuinely beneficial life-skills we will take with us in our futures, I leave you with this: the atmosphere at Michigan is competitive and rigorous, and I'm sure you all have had (or will have in the future) a stressful week, or a time when you feel like you're in a slump. While it is great to utilize our friends and family, do not be afraid to reach out to your professors. Let them get to know you personally. Get to know them. Our time here is short, and the faculty at U of M is an underrated and under-utilized group of inspiring people. It's easy to reach out to people in our comfort zone in times of need, but you never know how helpful a simple, "Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry," from a professor could be. Go reach out, go out of your comfort zone, go get to know more people.

And forever, go blue!